1. Grace has drawn nigh to mouths, once
blasphemous, and has made them harps; sounding praise.

Therefore let all mouths render praise to Him Who has
removed from them blasphemous speech. Glory to Thee Who didst
depart from one dwelling to take up thy abode in another! that He might
come and make us a dwelling-place for His Sender, the only-begotten
departed from [being] with Deity and took up His abode in the Virgin;
that by a common manner of birth, though only-begotten, He might become
the brother of many. And He departed from Sheol and took up His
abode in the Kingdom; that He might seek out a path from Sheol which
oppresses all, to the Kingdom which requites all. For our Lord
gave His resurrection as a pledge to mortals, that He would remove them
from Sheol, which receives the departed without distinction, to the
Kingdom which admits the invited with distinction; so that, from [the
plan] which makes equal the bodies of all men within it, we may come to
[the plan] which distinguishes the works of all men within it.
This is He Who descended to Sheol and ascended, that from [the place]
which corrupts its sojourners, He might bring us to the place which
nourishes with its blessings its dwellers; even those dwellers who,
with the possessions, the fruits, and the flowers, of this world, that
pass away, have crowned and adorned for themselves there, tabernacles
that pass not away. That Firstborn Who was begotten according to
His nature, was born in another birth that was external to His nature;
that we might know that after our natural birth we must have another
birth which is outside our nature. For He, since He was
spiritual, until He came to the corporeal birth, could not be
corporeal; in like manner also the corporeal, unless they are born in
another birth, cannot be spiritual. But the Son Whose generation
is unsearchable, was born in another generation that may be searched
out; that by the one we might learn that His Majesty is without limit,
and by the other might be taught that His grace is without
measure. For great is His Majesty without measure, Whose first
generation cannot be imagined in any of our thoughts. And His
grace is abundant without limit, Whose second birth is proclaimed by
all mouths.

2. This is He Who was begotten from the Godhead according to His nature, and from manhood not after His nature,
and from baptism not after His custom; that we might be begotten from
manhood according to our nature, and from Godhead not after our nature,
and by the Spirit not after our custom. He then was begotten from
the Godhead, He that came to a second birth; in order to bring us to
the birth that is discoursed of, even His generation from the
Father:—not that it should be searched out, but that it should be
believed;—and His birth from the woman, not that it should be
despised, but that it should be exalted. Now His death on the
cross witnesses to His birth from the woman. For He that died was
also born. And the Annunciation of Gabriel declares His
generation by the Father, namely [the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee].557557Luke i. 35. If then it
was the power of the Highest, it is plain that it was not the seed of
mortal man. So then His 306conception in the womb is bound up with His
death on the cross; and His first generation is bound up with the
declaration of the Angel; in order that whoso denies His birth may be
confuted by His crucifixion, and whoso supposes that His beginning was
from Mary, may be admonished that His Godhead is before all; so that
whoever has concluded His beginning to be corporeal, [may be proved to
err hereby that His issuing forth from the Father is narrated].
The Father begat Him, and through Him created the creatures.
Flesh bare Him and through Him slew lusts. Baptism brought him
forth, that through Him it might wash away stains. Sheol brought
Him forth, that through Him its treasures might be emptied out.
He came to us from beside His Father by the way of them that are
born: and by the way of them that die, He went forth to go to His
Father; so that by His coming through birth, His advent might be seen;
and by His returning through resurrection, His departure might be
confirmed.

3. But our Lord was trampled on by Death; and in His turn trod out a way over Death. This is He Who made
Himself subject to and endured death of His own will, that He might
cast down death against his will. For our Lord bare His cross and
went forth according to the will of Death: but He cried upon the
cross558558 St. Matt. xxvii. 50–52. and brought forth the dead from within Sheol against the will of Death. For in that very thing by which
Death had slain Him [i.e., the body], in that as armour He bore
off the victory over Death. But the Godhead concealed itself in
the manhood and fought against Death, Death slew and was slain.
Death slew the natural life; and the supernatural life slew Him.
And because Death was not able to devour Him without the body, nor
Sheol to swallow Him up without the flesh, He came unto the Virgin,
that from thence He might obtain that which should bear Him to Sheol;
as from beside the ass they brought for Him the colt whereon He entered
Jerusalem, and proclaimed concealing her overthrow and the destruction
of her children. With the body then that [was] from the Virgin,
He entered Sheol and plundered its storehouses and emptied its
treasures. He came then to Eve the Mother of all living.
This is the vine whose fence Death laid open by her own hands, and
caused her to taste of his fruits. So Eve the Mother of all
living became the well-spring of death to all living. But Mary
budded forth, a new shoot from Eve the ancient vine; and new life dwelt
in her, that when Death should come confidently after his custom to
feed upon mortal fruits, the life that is slayer of death might be
stored up [therein] against him; that when Death should have swallowed
[the fruits] without fear, he might vomit them forth and with them
many. For [He Who is] the Medicine of life flew down from heaven,
and was mingled in the body, the mortal fruit. And when Death
came to feed after his custom, the Life in His turn swallowed up
Death. This is the food that hungered to eat its eater. So
then, by one fruit which Death swallowed hungrily, he vomited up many
lives which he had swallowed greedily. The hunger then which
hurried him against one, emptied out his greed which had hurried him
against many. Thus Death was diligent to swallow one, but was in
haste to set many free. For while One was dying on the cross,
many that were buried from within Sheol were coming forth at His
cry.559559 St. Matt. xxvii. 50–53. This is the fruit that cleft asunder
Death who had swallowed it, and brought out from within it the Life in
quest of which it was sent. For Sheol hid away all that she had
devoured. But through One that was not devoured, all that she had
devoured were restored from within her. He, whose stomach is
disordered, vomits forth both that which is sweet to him and that which
is not sweet. So the stomach of Death was disordered, and as he
was vomiting forth 307the
medicine of life which had sickened it, he vomited forth along with it
also those lives that had been swallowed by him with pleasure.

4. This is the Son of the carpenter, Who skilfully
made His cross a bridge over Sheol that swallows up all, and brought
over mankind into the dwelling of life. And because it was
through the tree that mankind had fallen into Sheol, so upon the tree
they passed over into the dwelling of life. Through the tree then
wherein bitterness was tasted, through it also sweetness was tasted;
that we might learn of Him that amongst the creatures nothing resists
Him. Glory be to Thee, Who didst lay Thy cross as a bridge over
death, that souls might pass over upon it from the dwelling of the dead
to the dwelling of life!

5. The Gentiles praise Thee that Thy Word has
become a mirror before them, that in it they might see death, secretly
swallowing up their lives. But graven images were being adorned
by their artificers; and by their adornments were disfiguring their
adorners. But Thou didst draw them to Thy cross; and while the
beauties of the body were disfigured upon it, the beauties of the mind
shone forth upon it. Then, as for the Gentiles who used to go
after gods which were no gods, He Who was God went after them, and by
His words, as by a bridle, turned them from many gods to the One.
This is that Mighty One, Whose preaching became a bridle in the jaws of
the Gentiles, and led them away from idols to Him that sent Him.
But the dead idols, with their closed mouths, used to feed on the life
of their worshippers. On this account Thou didst mingle in their
flesh that blood of Thine, by which death was enfeebled and laid low;
that the mouths of their devourers might be driven away from their
lives. Also because Israel slew Thee and was defiled by Thy
blood, that idolatry, that had been engrafted upon him was driven away
from him on account of Thy blood. For he was weaned from that
heathenism through Thy blood; because that from it, he had never before
been weaned.

6. But Israel crucified our Lord, on the plea that verily He was seducing us from the One God. But they
themselves used constantly to wander away from the One God through
their many idols. While then they imagine they crucify Him Who
seduces them from the One God, they are found to be led away by Him
from all idols to the One God; to the end that because they did not
voluntarily learn of Him that He is God, they might by compulsion learn
of Him that He is God; when the good which had accrued to them through
Him should accuse them concerning the evil which their hands had
done. Thus even though the tongue of the oppressors denied, yet
the help with which they were helped convicted them. For grace
loaded them beyond their power, so that they should be ashamed, while
laden with Thy blessings, to deny Thy person. And also Thou didst
have mercy on those, whose lives had been made food for dead
idols. For the one calf which they made in the desert,560560Exod. xxxii. 4. pastured on their lives as on grass in the desert. For that idolatry which they had stolen and brought out
in their hearts from Egypt, when it was made manifest, slew openly
those in whom it was dwelling secretly. For it was like fire
concealed in wood, which when it is gendered from within it, burns
it. For Moses ground to powder the calf and caused them to drink
it in the water of ordeal;561561Exod. xxxii. 20. that by drinking of the calf all those who were living for its worship might die. For
the sons of Levi ran upon them, those who ran to [help] Moses and
girded on their swords.562562Exod. xxxii. 26, 27, 28. For the sons
of Levi did not know whom they should slay, because those that
worshipped were mingled with those that worshipped not. But He,
for Whom it was easy to distinguish, distinguished those who were
defiled from those who were not defiled; so that the innocent might
give thanks that their innocence had not passed [unseen
308by] the Just One; and the guilty might be convicted that their offence had not escaped [the eye
of] the Judge. But the sons of Levi were the open avengers.
Accordingly Moses set a mark upon the offenders, that it might be easy
for the avengers to avenge. For the draught of the calf entered
those in whom the love of the calf was dwelling, and displayed in them
a manifest sign, that the drawn sword might rush upon them. The
congregation therefore which had committed fornication in [the worship
of] the calf, he caused to drink of the water of ordeal, that the mark
of adulteresses might appear in it. From hence was derived that
law about women,563563Num. v. 17–27. that they should drink the water of ordeal, that by the mark that came on adulteresses,
the congregation might be reminded of its fornication that was in the
worship of the calf, and be on its guard with fear against another
[fornication]; and remember the former [fornication] with penitence of
soul; and that when they were judging their women, if they played the
harlot against them, they might condemn themselves, who were playing
the harlot against their God.

7. To Thee be glory who by Thy cross hast taken away the heathenism in which both circumcised and uncircumcised
were caused to stumble! To Thee be praise, the medicine of life,
Who hast converted all that are baptised, to Him Who is life of all,
and Lord of all! The lost that are found bless Thee; for by the
finding of the lost, Thou hast given joy to the angels that are found
and were not lost. The uncircumcised praise Thee, for in Thy
peace the enmity that was between is swallowed up, for Thou didst
receive in Thy flesh the outward sign of circumcision, through which
the uncircumcised that were Thine, used to be accounted as not
Thine. For Thou didst make as Thy sign the circumcision of the
heart; by which the circumcised were made known, that they were not
Thine. For Thou didst come to Thine own564564John i. 2. and Thine own received Thee not; and by this they were made known that they
were not Thine. But they to whom Thou didst not come, through Thy
mercy cry out after Thee, that Thou wouldst satisfy them with the
crumbs which fall from the children’s table.

8. God was sent from the Godhead, to come and convict the graven images that they were no gods. And when He
took away from them the name of God which decked them out, then
appeared the blemishes of their persons. And their blemishes were
these;—They have eyes and see not, and ears and hear
not.565565Ps. cxv. 5, 6. Thy preaching persuaded their many
worshippers to change their many gods for the One. For in that
Thou didst take away the name of godhead from the idols, worship also
along with the name was withdrawn; that, namely, which is bound up with
the name; for worship also attends on the Name of God. Because,
then, worship also was rendered to the Name, by all the Gentiles, at
the last the worshipful Name shall be gathered in entirely to its
Lord. Therefore at the last worship, also shall be gathered in
completely to its Lord, that it may be fulfilled that all things
shall be subjected to Him. Then, He in His turn shall be
subjected to Him Who subjected all things to Him.5665661 Cor. xv. 27, 28. So that that Name, rising from degree
to degree, shall be bound up with its root. For when all
creatures shall be bound by their love to the Son through Whom they
were created, and the Son shall be bound by the love of that Father by
Whom He was begotten, all creatures shall give thanks at the last to
the Son, through Whom they received all blessings; and in Him and with
Him they shall give thanks also to His Father, from Whose treasure He
distributes all riches to us.

9. Glory be to Thee Who didst clothe Thyself in
the body of mortal Adam, and didst make it a fountain of life for all
mortals. Thou art He that livest, for Thy slayers were as
husbandmen to Thy life, for that they sowed it as wheat in the depth
[of the 309earth], that it may rise
and raise up many with it. Come, let us make our love the great
censer of the community, and offer on it as incense our hymns and our
prayers to Him Who made His cross a censer for the Godhead, and offered
from it on behalf of us all. He that was above stooped down to
those who were beneath, to distribute His treasures to them.
Accordingly, though the needy drew near to His manhood, yet they used
to receive the gift from His Godhead. Therefore He made the body
which He put on, the treasurer of His riches, that He, O Lord, might
bring them out of Thy storehouse, and distribute them to the needy, the
sons of His kindred.

10. Glory be to Him Who received from us that He might give to us; that through that which is ours we might more
abundantly receive of that which is His! Yea through that
Mediator, mankind was able to receive life from its helper, as through
a Mediator it had received in the beginning death from its
slayer. Thou art He Who didst make for Thyself the body as a
servant, that through it Thou mightest give to them that desire Thee,
all that they desire. Moreover in Thee were made visible the
hidden wishes of them that slew [Thee] and buried [Thee]; through this,
that Thou clothedst Thyself in a body. For taking occasion by
that body of Thine, Thy slayers slew Thee, and were slain by Thee; and
taking occasion by Thy body, Thy buriers buried Thee, and were raised
up with Thee. That Power Which may not be handled came down and
clothed itself in members that may be touched; that the needy may draw
near to Him, that in touching His manhood they may discern His
Godhead. For that dumb man [whom the Lord healed] with the
fingers of the body, discerned that He had approached his ears and
touched his tongue;567567Mark vii. 32–37. nay, with his fingers that may be touched, he touched Godhead, that may not be
touched; when it was loosing the string of his tongue, and opening the
clogged doors of his ears. For the Architect of the body and
Artificer of the flesh came to him, and with His gentle voice pierced
without pain his thickened ears. And his mouth which was closed
up, that it could not give birth to a word, gave birth to praise to Him
Who made its barrenness fruitful in the birth of words. He, then,
Who gave to Adam that he should speak at once without teaching, Himself
gave to the dumb that they should speak easily, tongues that are
learned with difficulty.

11. Lo, again, another question is made clear:—We enquire in what tongues our Lord gave the power of
speaking to the dumb, who from all tongues came unto Him? And
although this be easy to know, yet our soul impels us to that knowledge
which is greater than this. That [knowledge] then is, to know
that through the Son the first man was made. For in this fact,
that through Him speech was given to the dumb, the sons of Adam, we may
learn that through Him speech was given to Adam their first
father. And here also defective nature was supplied by our
Lord. He, then, Who was able to supply the defect of
nature,—it is manifest that through Him is established the
supplying of nature. But there is no greater defect than this,
when a man is born without speech. For since it is in this, in
speech, that we excel all the creatures, the defect of it is greater
than all [other] defects. He, then, through Whom all this defect
was supplied,—it is manifest that through Him all fulness is
established. But because through Him the members receive all
fulness in the womb secretly, through Him their defect was supplied
openly; that we might learn that through Him in the beginning the whole
frame was constituted. He spat then on His fingers and placed
them in the ears of that deaf man; and He mixed clay of His spittle,
and spread it upon the eyes of the blind man;568568 St. John ix. 6. that we might learn that as there was defect in the eyeballs of that
man who was blind from his mother’s womb, so there was defect
in 310the ears of this [man]. So then, by leaven from the body of Him Who completes, the
defect of our formation is supplied. For it was not meet that our
Lord should have cut off anything from His body to supply the
deficiency of other bodies; but with that which could be taken away
from Him, He supplied the deficiency of them that lacked; just as in
that which can be eaten, mortals eat Him. He supplied then the
deficiency, and gave life to mortality, that we may know that from the
body in which fulness dwelt, the deficiency of them that lacked was
supplied; and from the body in which life dwelt,569569Col. ii. 9. life was given to mortals.

12. Now the Prophets performed all [other] signs;
but on no occasion supplied the deficiency of members. But the
deficiency of the body was reserved, that it should be supplied through
our Lord; that souls might perceive that it is through Him that every
deficiency must be supplied. It is meet, then, that the prudent
should perceive that He Who supplies the deficiencies of the creatures,
is Master of the formative power of the Creator. But when He was
upon earth, our Lord gave to the deaf [and dumb], [the power] of
hearing and of speaking tongues which they had not learned; that after
He had ascended, [men] might understand that He gave to His disciples
[the power] of speaking in every tongue.

13. Now the crucifiers supposed when our Lord was dead that His signs had died with Him. But His signs
manifestly continued to live through His disciples; that the murderers
might know that the Lord of the signs was living. Beforehand His
murderers made trouble, crying out that His disciples had stolen His
corpse. But, afterwards, His signs performed through His
disciples, filled them with trouble. For His disciples, who were
supposed to have stolen the dead corpse, were found to be raising to
life the dead corpses of others. But the ungodly were terrified
and said;—“His disciples have stolen His body;” that
they might be held in contempt when it should be discovered. But
the disciples, who [they said] stole the dead body from the living
guards, were found to be assailing Death in the name of Him Who was
stolen; that [Death] might not steal the life of the living. So
then, before He was crucified, He gave the deaf the power of hearing,
that after He was crucified, all ears should hear and believe in His
resurrection. For beforehand He confirmed our hearing by [the
word] of the dumb whose mouth was opened, that it should not doubt
concerning the preaching of the Word. Our Redeemer was in every
way equipped, that in every way He might rescue us from our
captor. For our Lord did not merely clothe Himself in a body, but
also arrayed Himself in members and in garments; that through His
members and His garments, they that were afflicted with plagues might
be encouraged to approach the treasury of healing, that they who were
encouraged by His mercy might approach His body and they who were
dismayed by His terror might approach His vesture. For with one
woman her fear suffered her merely to approach the hem of His
raiment;570570 St. Matt. ix. 20. but with another, her love impelled her even to approach His flesh.571571 St. Luke vii. 37, 38. Now by her who received healing by
His garments, those were put to shame who did not receive healing from
His words; and by her who kissed His feet, he was rebuked who did not
desire to kiss His lips.

14. Now our Lord bestowed great gifts through
small means; that He might teach us of what they are deprived who have
scorned great things. For if from the hem of His garment, healing
like this was secretly stolen, could He not assuredly heal when His
word distinctly granted healing? And if defiled lips were
sanctified by kissing His feet, how much more should not pure lips be
sanctified by kissing His mouth? For the sinful woman by her
kisses received the grace of His sacred feet, which had come with toil
to bring her remission of her sins. 311She was refreshing the feet of her Healer with
oil freely, for freely had He brought her the treasure of healing for
her sickness. For it was not for the sake of his stomach that He
Who satisfies the hungry was a guest; but for the sake of the sinful
woman’s repentance He Who justifies sinners made Himself a
guest.

15. For it was not for the dainties of the
Pharisees that our Lord hungered, but for the tears of the sinful woman
He was an hungered. For when He was satisfied and refreshed by
the tears for which He hungered, He turned and rebuked him who had
bidden Him to the food that passes away, that He might show that it was
not for the sake of food for the body that He had become a guest, but
for the sake of help to the soul. For it was not for the sake of
pleasure that our Lord mingled with gluttonous men and winebibbers, as
the Pharisee supposed; but that in their food as mortals He might
mingle for them His teaching as the medicine of life. For even as
it was in the matter of eating that the Evil One gave his deadly
counsel to Adam and his helpmeet, so in the matter of eating the Good
Lord gave His life-giving counsel to the sons of Adam. For He was
the fisherman Who came down to fish for the lives of the lost. He
saw the publicans and harlots rushing into prodigality and drunkenness;
and He hastened to spread His nets amongst their places of assembly,
that He might capture them from food that fattens bodies, to fasting
that fattens souls.

16. Now the Pharisee made great preparations
for our Lord in His banquet; and the sinful woman did but little things
for Him there. Yet he by his great dainties displayed the
smallness of his love to our Lord; but she by her tears displayed the
greatness of her love to our Lord. Thus he that had invited Him
to the great banquet was rebuked because of the smallness of his love;
but she by her few tears atoned for the many follies of her
offences. Simon the Pharisee received our Lord as a prophet;
because of the signs, and not because of faith. For he was a son
of Israel, who when signs drew near, himself also drew near to the Lord
of the signs; and when the signs ceased, he also stood naked without
faith. This man also when he saw our Lord with signs, esteemed
Him as a prophet; but when our Lord ceased from signs, the doubting
mind of the sons of his people entered him. This man if He had
been a prophet, He would have known that this woman is a
sinner. But our Lord for Whom in every place all things are
easy, here also did not cease from His signs. For He saw that
because He had ceased a little from signs, the blind mind of the
Pharisee had turned away from Him. For he had said in error,
This man, had He been a prophet, He would have known. In
this reflection therefore the Pharisee doubted concerning our Lord,
whether He were a prophet or no; but by this very reflection he learned
that He is Lord of the prophets; so that from the source from which
error entered him, from that source our Lord might bring help to
Him.

17. Our Lord then told him the parable of
the two debtors; and made him judge; that by his tongue He might catch
him in whose heart the truth was not. One owed five hundred
dinars. Here then our Lord showed to the Pharisee the
multitude of the offences of the sinful woman. He then who
imagined concerning our Lord that He did not know that she was a
sinner, in the result heard from Him how great was the debt of her
sins. The Pharisee, then, who imagined that our Lord did not know
who she was, and what was the reputation of the sinful woman, was found
himself not to know who our Lord was, and what was His
reputation. Thus he was reproved in his error, who did not even
perceive his error. For the knowledge that he was assuredly
erring eluded him in his error. But he received a reminder from
Him Who came to remind them that err. The Pharisee had seen great
signs done by our Lord, as Israel by Moses; but because there was not
faith in him, that those 312prodigies which he saw might be conjoined with that faith, a little cause hindered and annulled them.
Had this man been a prophet, he would have known that this woman is
a sinner. For he let slip the wonders that he had seen, and
blindness readily entered into him. For he was of the sons of
Israel, whom terrible signs accompanied up to the sea, that they might
fear; and blessed miracles surrounded in the waste desert, that they
might be reconciled; but through lack of faith, for a slight cause,
they rejected them [saying]; As for this Moses who brought us up, we
know not what has become of him.572572Ex. xxxii. 1. For
they ceased to regard the mighty works that had been surrounding
them. They perceived that Moses was not near them; so that for
this cause that had come near, they drew [near] to the heathenism of
Egypt. For Moses was for a little removed from before them, that
the calf that was before them might appear, that they might worship it
openly also; for they had been secretly worshipping it in their
hearts.

18. But when their heathenism from being inward became open, then Moses also from being hidden openly appeared;
that he might openly punish those whose heathenism had revelled beneath
the holy cloud which had overshadowed them. But God removed the
Shepherd of the flock from it for forty days, that the flock might show
that its trust was fixed upon the calf. While God was feeding the
flock with all delights, it chose for itself as its Shepherd the calf,
which was not able even to eat. Moses who kept them in awe was
removed from them, that the idolatry might cry aloud in their mouths,
which the restraint of Moses had kept down in their hearts. For
they cried: Make us gods, to go before us.573573Ex. xxxii. 1.

19. But when Moses came down, he saw their heathenism revelling in the wide plain with drums and cymbals.
Speedily, he put their madness to shame by means of the Levites and
drawn swords. So likewise here, our Lord concealed His knowledge
for a little when the sinful woman approached Him, that the Pharisee
might form into shape his thought, as his fathers had shaped the
pernicious calf. But when the Pharisee’s error came to a
head within him, then the knowledge of our Lord was manifested against
it and dispelled it; I entered into thy house; thou gavest Me no
water for My feet: But she has moistened them with her
tears. Therefore her sins which are many are forgiven
her.574574Luke vii. 44–47. But the
Pharisee when he heard our Lord naming the sins of the woman, many
sins, was greatly put to shame because he had greatly erred.
For he had supposed that our Lord did not even know that she was a
sinner. Our Lord had before shown Himself as though not knowing
her for a sinner. For He allowed him who had seen His signs, to
show the doubt of his mind, that it might become manifest that his mind
was bound in the ungodliness of his fathers. But the physician,
who by his medicines brings out the hidden disease, is not the helper
of the disease but its destroyer. For while the disease is
hidden, it rules in the members, but when it is made manifest by
medicines, it is rooted out. So then the Pharisee saw great
things and doubted about small things. But when our Lord saw that
his littleness made little of great things in his mind, He speedily
showed him not only that she was a sinner, but even the multitude of
her sins; that he might be put to shame by little things,—he who
had not believed in wonders.

20. God gave room to Israel to enlarge its
heathenism in the wide desert; whom God cut short with whetted sword,
that their idolatry might not be spread abroad among the
Gentiles. So our Lord allowed the Pharisee to imagine perverse
things, that He might in turn duly reprove his pride. For
concerning those things which the sinful woman was doing rightly, the
Pharisee was thinking wrongly. But our Lord in His turn rebuked
him, concerning the right things which he had wrongly
withheld: I 313entered thy house; thou gavest Me no water
for My feet. Behold the withholding of that which was
due! But she has moistened them with her tears.
Behold the payment of what was due! Thou didst not anoint Me
with oil. Behold the token of neglect! But she has
anointed My feel with sweet ointment. Behold the sign of
zeal! Thou didst not kiss Me. Behold the testimony of
enmity! But she has not ceased to kiss My feet. Behold the
sign of love! So then, by this enumeration our Lord showed that
the Pharisee owed Him all those things and had withheld them; but that
the sinful woman had come in and rendered all those things which he had
withheld. Because then she had paid the debts of him who
wrongfully withheld them, the Just One forgave her, her own debt, even
her sins.

21. Now the Pharisee, while he was doubting concerning our Lord, that He was not a prophet, pledged himself to the
truth unawares, in saying—Had this man been a prophet, he
would have known that this woman is a sinner. Therefore, if
it should be found that our Lord knew that she was a sinner, He is,
according to thy word, O Pharisee, a prophet. Our Lord,
therefore, hastened to show both that she was a sinner, and that her
sins were many; that the testimony of his own mouth might confute him
as a liar. For he was companion of those that said: Who
is able to forgive sins, but God only?575575Mark ii. 7. For from them our Lord received
testimony, that, therefore, He Who is able to forgive sins, is
God. Thenceforth, then, the contention was this, that our Lord
should show them whether He was able to forgive sins or no. So He
speedily healed the members that were visible, that it might be made
sure that He had forgiven the sins that were invisible. For our
Lord cast before them the word which was expected to catch him that
said it; so that when they should rush forward to catch Him by it,
according to their wish, they might be caught by Him according to His
wish. Fear not, My son, thy sins are forgiven
thee.576576Matt. ix. 2. While they
were hastening to catch Him on the charge of blasphemy, they pledged
themselves unawares to the truth. For Who is able forgive sins
but God only? Accordingly, our Lord confuted them [as though
saying]: “If I shall have shown that I am able to forgive
sins, even though ye do not believe in Me that I am God; yet abide ye
by your word, which determined that whoso forgives sins is
God.” Therefore that our Lord might teach them that He
forgives sins, He forgave that man his hidden sin, and caused him to
carry his bed openly; that by the carrying of the bed which carries
[those that lie on it], they might believe in the slaying of the sin
that slays.

This is a wonderful thing, that while our Lord there called Himself the Son of man, His adversaries, unawares, made
Him to be God as forgiving sins. Accordingly, while they supposed
that they had ensnared Him by their craftiness, He entangled them in
their craftiness; He made it a testimony to His truth. So their
evil thoughts became unto them as bitter bonds; and that they might not
free themselves from their bonds, our Lord strengthened them by giving
strength to him [to whom He said];—Arise, take up thy bed and
go into thine house.577577Matt. ix. 6. For the
testimony could not again be undone, as though He were not God;
inasmuch as He forgave sins. Nor yet could it be falsely affirmed
that He had not forgiven sins; for lo! He had healed [men’s]
limbs. For our Lord bound up His hidden testimonies in those
which were manifest; that their own testimony might choke the
infidels. Accordingly our Lord made their thoughts to war against
them, because they had warred with the Good One, who by His healing
power warred against their diseases. For that which Simon the
Pharisee imagined, and that which the scribes his companions imagined,
they imagined in their hearts secretly; but our Lord spread it forth
openly. Our Lord represented their hidden ima314ginations before them, that they might
learn that His knowledge reveals and shows their secret things(;) so
that though they had not recognized Him by His open signs, they might
recognize Him when He represented their secret imaginations; and that
if only but by this,—that He searched out their
hearts,—their hearts might perceive that He was God;—that
at least when they saw that their imaginations could not be hidden from
Him, they might cease from imagining evil against Him. For they
had imagined evil in their heart; but He exposed it openly, by this
[word] Why are ye imagining evil in your heart? So that by
this, that our Lord perceived their hidden imagination, they should
recognize His hidden Godhead. For that Godhead, by this very
thing that they in their error were reviling it, was by that reviling
made known to them. For they reviled our Lord in the body, and
supposed that He was not God, and cast Him down below from on high; but
by the body He was made known to them as being God, by that body which
was found passing to and fro amongst them. For they, by casting
Him down to the depth, attempted to show this, that God Who is above,
cannot in bodily wise be born below. But He by His passage up to
the height, taught them this; that for the body also that is sent down
below, it is not its nature to pass up to the height rather than down
to the depths; so that by the body which from below passed on high
upwards in the air, they might learn of God that by His grace He
descended down below from on high.

22. But why instead of a stern reproof did our Lord speak a parable of persuasion to that Pharisee? He spoke
the parable to him tenderly, that he, though froward, might unawares be
enticed to correct his perversities. For the waters that are
congealed by the force of a cold wind, the heat of the sun gently
dissolves. So our Lord did not at once oppose him harshly, that
he might not give occasion to the rebellious to rebel again. But
by blandishment He brought him under the yoke, that when he had been
yoked, He might work with him, though rebellious, according to His
will. Now, because Simon was proudly minded, our Lord began
humbly with him, that He might not be to him a teacher according to his
folly. For if that Pharisee retained the Pharisees’ pride,
how could our Lord cause him to acquire humility, when the treasure of
humility was not under his hand? But since our Lord was teaching
humility to all men, He showed that His treasury was free from every
form of pride. But this was for our sakes, that He might teach
us, that whatever treasuries pride enters into, it is by boastfulness
that it gains access to them. On this account let not thy left
hand know what thy right hand doeth.578578Matt. ii. 3. Our Lord then did not employ harsh
reproof, because His coming was of grace: He did not refrain from
reproof, because His later coming will be of retribution. For He
put men to fear in His coming of humility; because it is a fearful
thing to fall into His hands579579Hebr. x. 31. when He shall come in flaming fire.5805802 Thess. i. 7–8. But our Lord
bestowed the most part of His helps rather by persuasion than by
reproof. For the gentle shower softens the earth and penetrates
all through it: but violent rain binds and hardens the face of
the earth, so that it does not receive it. For a harsh word
excites wrath, and with it are bound up wrongs. And when a harsh
word has opened the door, wrath enters in, and at the heels of wrath,
along with it enter in wrongs.

23. But because all helps attend on humble
speech, He who came to render help employed it. Observe how
mighty is the power of a humble word; for lo! by it vehement wrath is
put down, and by it the billows of a swelling mind are calmed.
But hear whence this was. That Pharisee thought, had this man
been a prophet, he would have known. Contempt as well as
blasphemy can be discerned here. Hear how our Lord in reply
encountered this: 315Simon, I have somewhat to say unto
thee. Love and reproof can be discerned here. For this
is a word of love such as friends use with their friends. For
when an adversary reproaches his adversary, he speaks not to him like
this; for the madness of anger does not allow enemies to speak
reasonably one to another. But He Who prayed for them that
crucified Him, that He might show that the fury of anger had no power
over Him, was about to put to the question those that crucified Him,
that He might show that He was governed by reason and not by anger.

24. Accordingly, our Lord placed a word of
conciliation at the beginning of His speech, that by conciliation He
might pacify the Pharisee, into whose mind discord and division had
entered. He was the physician who ranged His cures against the
things hurtful [to men]. Our Lord then shot forth this word as an
arrow, and set in the head of it conciliation as the barb. And He
anointed it with love, that soothes the members; so that when it flew
into him who was full of discord, he was at once changed from discord
to harmony. For straightway upon hearing that humble voice of our
Lord, saying,—Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee,
that secret despiser returned his answer, Say on, Lord.
For the sweet voice entered his bitter mind, and begot of it pleasant
fruit. For he who before this voice was one that secretly
despised, after this voice became one that openly honoured. For
humility, by its sweet utterance, subdues even its adversaries into
rendering it honour. For it is not over its friends that humility
tests its power, but over its enemies it exhibits its
victories.

25. Thus the heavenly King arrayed Himself in armour of humility, and so conquered the bitter one, and drew from
him a good answer as a sure pledge [of victory]. This is the
armour concerning which Paul said, that by it we humble the
loftiness that exalteth itself against the knowledge of
God.5815812 Cor. x. 5. For Paul had
received the proof of it in himself. For as he had been warring
in pride, but was conquered in humility, so is to be conquered every
lofty thing which exalteth itself against this humility.
For Saul was journeying to subdue the disciples with hard words, but
the Master of the disciples subdued him with a humble word. For
when He to whom all things are possible manifested Himself to him,
giving up all things else, He spoke to him in humility alone, that He
might teach us that a soft tongue is more effectual than all things
else against hard thoughts. For neither threats nor words of
terror were heard by Paul, but weak words not able to avenge
themselves: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?582582Acts ix. 4. But the words which were thought
not even capable of avenging themselves, were found to be taking
vengeance by drawing him away from the Jews and making him a goodly
vessel. He who was full of the bitter will of the Jews, was then
filled with the sweet preaching of the cross. When he was filled
with the bitterness of the crucifiers, in his bitterness he made havoc
of the churches. But when he was filled with the sweetness of the
Crucified, he embittered the synagogues of the crucifiers. Our
Lord then strove with humble voice with him, who had been warring
against His churches with hard bonds. Thus Saul, who had been
binding the disciples with bitter chains, was bound with pleasant
persuasions; that he might not again cast the disciples into bonds;
since he was bound by the Crucified, Who puts to silence evil voices,
whom all they that were set against Him could not bind or injure.
But when Paul ceased from binding the disciples, he himself was bound
with chains by the persecutors. But when he was bound with
chains, he loosed the bonds of idolatry by his bonds.

26. Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me? He who had conquered His persecutors in the world below,
and ruled over the angels in the world above, spoke from above
with 316humble voice. And He Who while He was upon earth had denounced ten woes
against His crucifiers, when He was in heaven, did not denounce even
one woe against Saul, His persecutor. Now, our Lord denounced woe
to His crucifiers, that He might teach His disciples not to be dismayed
by His murderers. But our Lord spoke in humility from heaven,
that in humility the heads of His church might speak. And if any
one should say, “Wherein did our Lord speak humbly with Paul? for
lo! the eyes of Paul were grievously smitten;” let him know that
it was not from our merciful Lord that this chastisement proceeded, who
spoke those words in humility; but from the vehement light that
vehemently shone forth there. And this light did not strike Paul
by way of retribution on account of his deeds, but on account of the
vehemence of its rays it hurt him, as he also said: When I
arose, I could discern nothing for the glory of the light.583583Acts xxii. 11. But if that light was glorious, O
Paul, how did the glorious light become a blinding light to thee
thyself? The light was that which, according to its nature,
illuminates above, but contrary to its nature, it shone forth
below. When it illumined above, it was delightful; but when it
shone forth below, it was blinding. For the light was both
grievous and pleasant. It was grievous and violent towards the
eyes of the flesh; and it was pleasant and lightful to those who are
fire and spirit.584584Matt. iv. 11.

27. For I saw a light from heaven that
excelled the sun, and its light shone upon me.585585Acts xxvi. 13. So then mighty rays streamed forth
without moderation, and were poured upon feeble eyes, which moderate
rays refresh. For, lo! the sun also in measure assists the eyes,
but beyond measure and out of measure it injures the eyes. And it
is not by way of vengeance in wrath that it smites them. For lo!
it is the friend of the eyes and beloved of the eyeballs. And
this is a marvel; while with its gentle lustre it befriends and assists
the eyes; yet by its vehement rays it is hostile to and injures the
eyeballs. But if the sun which is here below, and of kindred
nature with the eyes that are here below, yet injures them, in
vehemence and not in anger, in its proper force and not in wrath; how
much more should the light that is from above, akin to the things that
are above, by its vehemence injure a man here below who has suddenly
gazed upon that which is not akin to his nature? For since Paul
might have been injured by the vehemence of this sun to which he was
accustomed, if he gazed upon it not according to custom, how much more
should he be injured by the glory of that light to which his eyes never
had been accustomed? For behold, Daniel also586586Dan. x. 5, 6. was melted and poured out on every side before the glory of the angel, whose vehement brightness suddenly shone
upon him! and it was not because of the angel’s wrath that his
human weakness was melted, just as it is not on account of the wrath or
hostility of fire that wax is melted before it; but on account of the
weakness of the wax it cannot keep firm and stand in presence of
fire. When then the two approach one another, the power of the
fire by its quality prevails; but the weakness of the wax on the other
hand is brought lower even than its former weakness.

28. But the majesty of the angel was manifested in itself; the weakness of flesh in itself could not
endure. For my inward parts were turned into
corruption.587587Dan. x. 8. But yet
men see men, their fellows, and faint before them: Yet it is not
by their bright splendour that they are moved, but by their harsh
will. For servants are terrified by the wrath of their masters,
and those that are judged tremble through fear of their judges.
But this did not befall Daniel on account of threatening or anger from
the angel; but on account of his terrible nature and prevailing
brightness. For it was not with threatening, the angel came to
him. For if he had come with threatening, how could a mouth full
of threatening become full of peace, 317when it came, saying, Peace be unto
thee, thou man of desire?588588Dan. x. 19 (Peshitto). Thus that
mouth that was a fountain of thunderings—for the voice of his
words was like the voice of many hosts,589589Dan. x. 6. that voice became to him a fountain teeming with and containing
peace. And when [the voice] reached the terrified ears which were
athirst for the encouraging greeting of peace, there was opened and
poured out [for Daniel] a draught of peace. And by the
angel’s later [word of] peace, those ears were encouraged, which
had been terrified by his former voice first. For [he said],
Let my Lord speak because I have been strengthened.590590Dan. x. 19. But because in that heart-moving vision
the fiery angel was about to announce nothing concerning Him, [the
Lord], on this account that majesty [of the angel] was forward to give
the salutation of peace to the lowliness [of the prophet]; that by the
gladdening salutation which that awful majesty gave, the dread should
be removed which lay on the mind of the lowliness and that was
terrified.

29. But what shall we say about the Lord of the Angel, Who said to Moses,—No man shall see Me and
live?591591Exod. xxxiii. 20. Is it on
account of the fury of His anger, that whoso shall see Him shall
die? Or on account of the splendour of His Being? For that
Being was not made and was not created: so that eyes which have
been made and created cannot look upon it. For if it is on
account of His fury that whoso shall look upon Him shall not live, lo!
He would have granted to Moses to see Him because of His great love to
him. Accordingly, the Self-Existent by His vision slays them that
look upon Him; but He slays, not because of harsh fury but because of
His potent splendour. Because of this He in His great love
granted to Moses to see His glory; yet in the same great love He
restrained him from seeing His glory. But it was not that the
glory of His majesty would have been at all diminished, but that weak
eyes could not suffice to bear the overpowering billows of His
glory. Therefore God, Who in His love desired that the vision of
Moses should be directed upon the goodly brightness of His glory, in
His love did not desire that the vision of Moses should be blinded
amidst the potent rays of His glory. Therefore Moses saw and saw
not. He saw, that he might be exalted; he saw not, that he might
not be injured. For by that which he saw, his lowliness was
exalted; and by that which he saw not, his weakness was not
blinded. As also our eyes look upon the sun and look not upon it;
and by what they see are assisted; and by what they see not, are
uninjured. Thus the eye sees, that it may be benefited; but it
ventures not [to look], that it may not be injured. So then
through love God hindered Moses from seeing that glory that was too
hard for his eyes: As also Moses through his love prevented the
children of his people from seeing the brightness that was too strong
for their eyes. For he learned from Him Who covered him, and
spread His hand, and hid from him the splendour of the glory, that it
might not injure him; so that he also should spread the veil and
conceal from the feeble ones the overpowering splendour, that it might
not hurt them. Now when Moses saw that the sons of perishable
flesh could not gaze upon the borrowed glory that was on his face, his
heart failed within him; for that he had sought to dare to gaze upon
the glory of the Eternal Being; in whose floods, lo! those above and
those below are plunged and spring forth; the depths whereof none can
fathom; the shores whereof none can reach; whereof no end or limit can
be found.

30. Now if any one should say, “Was it not
then possible for God [to bring it to pass] that Moses should look upon
that glory and not be injured; and that Paul likewise should look upon
the light and take no hurt?” Let him that says this
understand that though it is possible for the power and overruling
force of God, that the eyes should change their nature; yet it is
inconsistent with the wisdom and nature of God that the order of nature
should be confused. For, lo! it is 318also easy for the arm of the artificer to
destroy [his fabrics]; but it is inconsistent with the good sense of
the artificer to ruin goodly ornaments. And if any one wishes to
say, concerning something which to himself seems meet;—“It
were meet for God to do this;” let him know that it is meet for
himself not to speak thus concerning God. For the chief of all
things meet is this: that a man should not teach God what is
meet. For it becomes not man to become God’s
instructor. For this is a great wickedness, that we should become
teachers to Him, of Whom these created mouths of ours are unable to
tell, in the formation of His handiwork. For it is an
unpardonable iniquity, that the mouth in its boldness should teach what
is proper to that God by Whose grace it learned to speak at all.
If any one then shall say, “It had been meet for God to do
this,” I also, because I have a mouth and a tongue, may say,
“It had been meet for God not to give to man freedom by which he
thus reproaches Him Who is not to be reproached.” But I do
not dare to say that it was not meet for Him to give it; lest I also
make myself an instructor of Him Who is not to be instructed. For
because He is just, He would have been reproached by Himself, had He
not given freedom to men, as though through grudging He had withheld
from lowly man the gift that makes great. Therefore He gave it
betimes by His grace, that He might not be justly reproached by
Himself; even though through freedom, His own gift, lo! blasphemers
wickedly reproach Him.

31. Now why were the eyes of Moses made to shine
because of the glory which he saw, while on the contrary [the eyes of]
Paul, instead of being made to shine, were made utterly blind?
Yet we may be sure that the eyes of Moses were not stronger than those
of Paul; for they were akin in one brotherhood of blood and
flesh. But another power through grace sustained the eyes of
Moses; whereas no power was added in mercy to the eyes of Paul, beyond
their natural power, which in wrath was taken from them. But if
we say that their natural power was taken away from them, and that [it
was] on this account he was defeated and overcome by the overpowering
light,—for had their natural power remained, they would have been
able to endure that supernatural light. Yet let us be sure of
this, that as often as anything transcendent is revealed, that
surpasses and transcends our nature, our natural power is not able to
stand before it. But if on the other hand another power beyond
our natural one is added to us, then by that power received by us in
excess of and beyond nature, we shall be able to stand before any
strange thing which comes upon us supernaturally.

32. For, lo! the power of our ears and eyes is in us and is formed in us in its natural manner; and yet our sight
and hearing cannot stand before mighty thunderings and lightnings;
first, because they come with vehemence; and secondly, because their
potency suddenly surprises and astounds our feebleness. This is
what happened to Paul. For the potency of the light suddenly
surprised his feeble eyes and injured them. But the greatness of
the voice brought low his strength and entered his ears and opened
them. For they had been closed up by Jewish contentiousness as by
wax. For the voice did not plough up the ears, as the light
injured the eyeballs. Why? but because it was meet that he should
hear, but not that he should see. Therefore the doors of hearing
were opened by the voice as by a key: but the doors of sight were
shut by the light that should open them. Why then was it meet
that he should hear? Clearly because by that voice our Lord was
able to reveal Himself as being persecuted by Saul. For He was
not able to show Himself by sight as being persecuted; for there was no
way whereby this should be, that the son of David should be seen
fleeing and Saul pursuing after Him.592592 1 Sam. xxiii, xxiv. For this
happened in very deed with that first Saul and with the first
David. The one was pursuing; the other 319was being persecuted; they both of them saw and were seen, each by the other. But here the ear alone
could hear of the persecution of the Son of David; the eye could not
see that He was being persecuted. For it was in [the person of]
others He was being persecuted, while He was Himself in
heaven;—He Who beforetime had been persecuted in His own person
while He was upon earth. Therefore the ears [of Saul] were opened
and his eyes were closed. And He Who by sight could not represent
Himself before Saul as persecuted, represented Himself by word before
him as persecuted; when he cried and said;—Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou Me? Accordingly, his eyes were closed,
because they could not see the persecution of Christ; but his ears were
opened, because they could hear of His persecution. So then
although the eyes of Moses were bodily eyes, as those of Paul, yet his
inward eyes were Christian; for Moses wrote of Me,593593John v. 46. but the outward eyes of Paul were open, while the inward [eyes] were shut. Then because the inward eyes
of Moses shone clear, his outward eyes also were made to shine
clearly. But the outward eyes of Paul were closed, that by the
closing of those that were outward, there might come to pass the
opening of those that were inward. For he who by the outward eyes
was not able to see the Lord in His signs, he when those bodily eyes
were closed, saw with those within. And because he had received
the proof in his own person, he wrote to those who had their bodily
eyes full of light;—May He illumine the eyes of your
hearts.594594Eph. i. 18. Therefore the
signs manifested to the external eyes of the Jews, profited them not at
all; but faith of the heart opened the eyes of the heart of the
Gentiles. But because, had Moses come down in his accustomed
aspect from the mountain, without that shining of countenance, and
said, “I saw there the glory of God,” the faithless fathers
would not have believed him; so also, had Paul, without suffering
blindness of his eyes, said, “I heard the voice of Christ,”
the sons who crucified Christ would not have received it as true.
Therefore He set on Moses as in love, an excelling sign of splendour,
that the deceivers might believe that he had seen the Divine glory; but
on Saul, as on a persecutor, He set the hateful sign of blindness, that
the liars might believe that he had heard the words of Christ; that so
thou might not again speak against Moses, and that these might not
doubt concerning Paul. For God set signs on the bodies of the
blind, and sent them to those who were in error, who used to make signs
upon the borders of their garments. But they remembered not the
signs on their garments, and in the signs of the body they greatly
erred. The fathers who saw the glory of Moses, did not obey
Moses; nor did the sons who saw the blindness of Paul believe
Paul. But three times in the desert they threatened to stone
Moses and his house with stones as dogs.595595 Only one such threat is
recorded (see margin); but cf. Exod. viii. 26, and xvii. 4. For all congregation bade stone
them with stones.596596Num. xiv. 10. And thrice
they scourged Paul with rods as a dog on his body. [?]597597 Rendering
doubtful. Thrice was I beaten with
rods.5985982 Cor. xi. 25. These are the lions who through
their love for their Lord were beaten as dogs and were torn as flocks
of sheep, those flocks that used to stone their guardian shepherds, in
order that ravening wolves might rule over them.

33. But the crucifiers who corrupted the soldiers
with a bribe, they perhaps said concerning Paul;—“The
disciples have bribed him with a bribe; therefore he associates with
the disciples.” For those who by the giving of a bribe
strove that the resurrection of our Lord might not be preached,
slandered Paul with the name of a bribe, that his revelation might not
be believed. Therefore the voice astonished him, and the light
blinded him, that his astonishment might pacify his violence, and his
blindness might put to shame his slanderers. For the voice
320astounded his hearing in
this, that it said meekly to him;—(Saul, why persecutes thou
Me?): and the light blinded his sight, that when the
slanderers should have said that he had received a bribe, and thereby
was suborned to lie, his blindness which had been brought about by that
light might confute them, showing that it was through it that he had
been driven to speak what was true. So that those who supposed
that his hands had received a bribe, and that because of it his lips
lied, might know that his eyes had given up their light and because of
this his lips proclaimed the truth. But again for another reason
the meek voice accompanied the overpowering light; namely, that as it
were from meekness unto exaltation our Lord might produce help for the
persecutor; in like manner as also all His helps were produced, from
lowliness unto greatness. For our Lord’s meekness continued
from the womb to the tomb. And observe that greatness comes close
upon His lowliness, and exaltation on His meekness. For whereas
His greatness was observed in divers things, His Divinity was revealed
by glorious signs; that it might be known that the One Who stood
amongst them, was not one but two. For His nature is not humble
nature alone, nor is it an exalted nature alone; but there are two
natures that are mingled, the one with the other; the exalted and the
humble.

Therefore these two natures show forth their qualities;
so that by the quality of each of the two, mankind might distinguish
between the two; that it might not be supposed that He was merely
one,—He Who was two by commingling: but that it might be
known that He was two in respect of the blending, though He was one in
respect of His Being. These things our Lord, through His humility
and exaltation, taught to Paul also in the way to Damascus.

34. For our Lord appeared to Saul in
meekness, since meekness was close to His greatness; that because of
His greatness it might be known Who He is Who spake meekly. For
even as His disciples preached on earth of our Lord in meekness and in
exaltation,—in the meekness of His persecution, and in the
exaltation of His signs,—so also our Lord preached of Himself in
meekness and in exaltation in Paul’s presence—in the
exaltation of the potency of the light which flashed, and in the
meekness of that meek voice which said; Saul, why persecutest thou
Me?—so that the preaching of Him which His disciples preached
concerning Him in presence of many, should be like to that preaching
which He preached concerning Himself. But even as, if He had not
spoken meekly, it would not have been made known there that He was
meek, so, had He not appeared there as an overpowering light, it would
not have been made known there that He was exalted.

35. And if thou shouldst say; “What
necessity was there that He should speak humbly? Could He not
have convinced him also through the greatness of the
light?” Know, thou that questionest, that this rejoinder
may be returned to thee; that because it was necessary that He should
speak humbly, He therefore spoke humbly. For by Him Who is wise
in all things, there was done there nothing that was not meet to be
done. For He Who has given knowledge to artificers to do each
thing severally with the instrument meet for it, does He not Himself
know that which He gives others the power of knowing? Therefore
whatsoever has been wrought or is being wrought by the Godhead, that
very thing that is wrought by Him at that time, is for the furtherance
of [God’s] working at that time, even though to the blind the
Divine orderings seem contrariwise. But that we may not restrain
by constraint of words a wise enquirer, one that wishes to grow by true
persuasion as the seed by the rain-drops; know, O enquirer, that
because Saul was a persecutor, but our Lord was endeavouring to make
him persecuted instead of persecutor, therefore He of His wisdom made
haste to cry—Saul, why persecutest thou Me?—in order
that, when Saul who was being made a disciple, heard Him Who was
mak321ing him a disciple, saying, Why persecutest thou Me? he might know that the Master
Whose servant he was becoming, was a persecuted Master, and so might
quickly cast away the persecution of his former masters, and might
clothe himself in the persecuted state of his persecuted Master.
Now any master who wishes to teach a man anything, teaches him either
by deeds or by words. But if he teach him neither by words nor by
deeds, the man cannot be instructed in his craft. So that, even
though our Lord did not teach Paul humility by deeds, yet by voice He
taught him endurance of persecution which He could not teach him by
deed. For before our Lord was crucified, He taught His disciples
humble endurance of persecution by deed. But after He had
finished His persecution by crucifixion, as He said, Lo! all things
are finished.599599John xix. 30. He could not
vainly return and begin again anything which once for all had been
wisely finished. Or why again do ye seek for the crucifixion and
shame of the Son of God?

36. For even though our Lord in His grace
had beforetime brought the majesty of His Godhead into humility, yet
afterwards in His justice He willed not again to bring back to
humiliation the littleness of manhood which had been made great.
But because it was necessary that the persecuting disciple should learn
endurance of persecution, while yet it was impossible that the Master
should again come down and be persecuted afresh; He taught him by voice
that which could not be taught by deeds. Saul, why persecutest
thou Me? The explanation of which utterance is
this;—“Saul, why art thou not persecuted in
Me?” But in order that Saul might not suppose that it was
because of His weakness our Lord was persecuted, the strength of the
overpowering light which shone upon him, convinced him. For if
the eyes of Saul could not endure the shining of that light, how could
the hands of Saul bind and fetter the disciples of the Lord of that
light? But his hands had fettered the disciples, that he might
learn their power in their bonds; while his eyes could not endure the
beams, that by their strength he might learn his own weakness.
But had not the power of that light shone upon him, when the Lord said
to him; Saul, why persecutest thou Me? Then because of the
madness of the pride wherein Paul was set up at that time, he would
perhaps have said this to Him, “I am persecuting Thee for this
reason, because Thou hast said, Why persecutest thou Me?
For who is there that would not persecute Thee, when Thou, with such
strength, troublest Thy persecutor with these feeble
cries.” But the humility of our Lord was heard in the
voice, and the power of the light shone forth in the beams. So
Paul could not despise the humility of the voice, because of the glory
of the light.

37. Thus were his ears brought into discipleship
to the voice which he heard, because his eyes sufficed not to endure
the beams which they saw. That marvel of the dawning of the light
was shed forth upon his eyeballs and did them hurt; and the voice of
the Lord of the light entered his ears, but did them no harm. But
between the light and the Lord of the light, which ought to have been
the stronger? For if the light which was created by Him was so
overpowering, how much more overpowering He by Whom this very light was
created! But if the Lord of the light was overpowering, as indeed
He is overpowering, how did His voice enter the hearing and not harm
it? even as that light which hurt the sight? But hear the wonder
and the marvel which our Lord wrought by His grace. For our Lord
willed not to humble that light which is His; but He being Lord of the
light humbled Himself. But as the Lord of the light is greater
than the light which is His, so great is the glory that the Lord of the
light should humble Himself rather than humble the light.

38. As also in the night, while He was
praying, it is written;—There appeared to322Him an angel strengthening
Him.600600Luke xxii. 43. But here all
mouths, celestial and terrestrial, are insufficient to give thanks to
Him by Whose hand the angels were created; that He was strengthened for
the sake of sinners by that angel who was created by His hand. As
then the angel from above stood in glory and in brightness, while the
Lord of the angel, that He might exalt man who was degraded,
stood in degradation and humility; so also here that light flashed
forth in manifestation; but the Lord of the light, for the sake of
helping one persecutor, spoke with humble voice and lowly
words.

39. For this cause therefore that light
which was overpowering, because it was not diminished, entered the
eyeballs with overpowering manifestation and injured them. But
the Lord of the light, because He had lowered Himself in order to help,
His lowly voice entered the ears that had need and helped them.
But in order that the help of that voice which had become lowly, might
not fail Him, therefore the strength of that light was not lowered, in
order that because of that light, which was not lowered, the help of
that voice which was lowered, might be believed. But this is a
marvel, that until our Lord made Himself lowly in voice, Paul was not
made lowly in deed; for even as, before He came down and clothed
Himself in a body, our Lord was in exaltation with His Father; yet in
His exaltation men did not learn humility; but when He humbled Himself
and came down from His exaltation, then by His humbleness humility was
soon among men; so again after His resurrection and ascension He was in
glory at the right hand of God His Father, but by that His exaltation,
Paul did not learn humility. Therefore He that was exalted and
sat at the right hand of His Father, ceased from glorious and lofty
speech, and He cried as one wronged and oppressed, with feeble and meek
words, saying,—Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?
Thus, humble words prevailed over harsh bridles. For by humble
words, as by bridles, the persecuted led the persecutor from the broad
way of the persecutors into the narrow way of the persecuted. And
since all the signs that were done in the Name of our Lord did not
convince Paul, our Lord made haste to meet with humility him who was
hastening on the way to Damascus in the vehemence of pride. Thus
by His humble words, the harsh vehemence of pride was
checked.

40. He then Who used humble words with Paul His
persecutor, He also used humble sayings with the Pharisee. For so
great is the power of humility that even God Who overcomes all did not
overcome without it. Humility was able also in the wilderness to
bear the burden of the stiff-necked people. For against the
people who were more stubborn than all men, was set Moses who was more
meek than all men. For God Who needs not anything, when He had
set free the people, afterwards had need of the humility of Moses, that
this humility might endure the wrath and murmuring of the People that
provoked him. For humility alone could endure the gainsayings of
that people, which the signs of Egypt and the prodigies (wrought) in
the desert could not subdue. For when pride had wrought divisions
amongst the people, humility by its prayer used to close up their
divisions. If then the humility of the Stammerer endured six
hundred thousand, how much more exceedingly did the humility of Him,
Who gave speech to the Stammerer endure? For the humility of
Moses is a shadow of the humility of our Lord.

41. Our Lord then saw that Simon the Pharisee did
not believe the signs and wonders which he had seen. He came to
him to persuade him with humble words; and humble utterances overcame
him, whom mighty wonders had not overcome. What then are the
wonders which that Pharisee had seen? He had seen the dead raised
to life, the lepers cleansed, the blind with eyes opened. These
signs compelled that Pharisee to entertain our Lord as a prophet.
But 323he who entertained Him as a prophet, changed so as to despise Him for one who had not knowledge,
saying (namely);—Had this man been a prophet, He would have
known that this woman—who had approached Him—is a
sinner. But we may despise the Pharisee and say, Had he been
a man of discernment,601601 Parûshâ; the
resemblance of the word to Parishâ (=Pharisee) is here played
on. he would have learned
from that sinful woman, who approached our Lord, not that He was a
prophet, but the Lord of the Prophets. For the tears of the
sinful woman testified, that it was not a prophet they were
propitiating, but Him, Who, as God, was wroth with her sins. For,
because the prophets sufficed not to raise sinners to life, the Lord of
the prophets came down to heal those who were in evil case. But
what physician is there who hinders the smitten, that they should not
come to him, O blind Pharisee, as it befel that she came to our
Physician! For why did the smitten woman approach Him,—she,
whose wounds were healed by her tears? He Who had come down to be
a fountain of healing amongst the diseased, was proclaiming
this;—Let every one that is athirst, come and
drink.602602John vii. 37. But when the
Pharisees, this man’s companions, murmured at the healing of
sinners, the Physician taught concerning His art, that the door is
opened for the diseased and not for the whole, for they that are
whole need not a physician but they that are sick.603603Matt. ix. 12. Therefore the praise of the physician
is the healing of the diseased;—that the shame of the Pharisee
who reproved the praise of our physician may be greater. But our
Lord used to show signs in the streets; and also when He entered into
the house of the Pharisee, He showed signs which were greater than
those He had shown outside. For in the street He made whole the
bodies that were sick, but within He healed the souls that were
diseased. Outside, He raised to life the mortality of
Lazarus: but within, He raised to life the mortality of the
sinful woman. He restored the living soul to the corpse from
which it had gone out; and He expelled from the sinful woman the deadly
sin which dwelt within her. But the blind (Pharisee) who was
insufficient for great things, because of the great things which he saw
not, belied those small things which he had seen. For he was a
son of Israel who attributed weakness to his God, and not to
himself. For (Israel said), Though He smote the rock and the
waters flowed, can He also give us bread?604604Ps. lxxviii. 20. But when our Lord saw his weakness,
that it missed the great things and, because of them, the small things
also, He hasted to put forward a simple word, as though for a babe that
was being reared on milk, and was not capable of solid food.

42. For by that wherein thou knewest, O Pharisee, that our Lord was not a prophet, by that very thing it was
proved that thou didst not know the prophets. For by this that
thou saidst;—Had this man been a prophet, he would have
known, thou showest herein that (in thy esteem) whoever is a
prophet knows all things. But lo! some matters were hidden from
the prophets; how then dost thou attribute the revelation of all hidden
things to the prophets? But this unwise teacher who perverted the
scriptures of the Prophets, did not even understand what he read in the
scriptures. For it was not only that the greatness of the Lord
was not discerned by that Pharisee, but he did not even discern the
weakness of the prophets. For our Lord, as knowing all things,
allowed that sinful woman to come in and receive His peace. But
Elisha, as one ignorant, said to the Shunamite;—Peace to thee
and peace be to the child.6056052 Kings iv. 26.
Accordingly he who supposed that our Lord was proved not to be a
prophet, was himself proved not to know the Prophets. When the
mind contains malice and cannot refrain, then that malice which is in
it, is cunning in finding a pretext for opening a door; but in case
that pretext, in which the deceiver takes refuge is confuted, he knows
that 324within this there is
another concealed which he may employ.

Now observe this son of Israel, how he was like Israel in stubbornness. For heathenism was bound up in the mind
of the People; therefore Moses was taken away from them, that the
wickedness that was within them might become manifest. But that
they might not be put to shame, and that it might not be known how they
were seeking idols, they first sought for Moses, and then for
idols. As for this Moses, we know not what has become of
him.606606Ex. xxxii. 1. And if God,
Who cannot die, brought thee out of Egypt, why dost thou seek for a
man, who at some time must die? Yet they did not desire Moses,
that he should become a god to them; because Moses could hear and see
and reprove; but they sought for a god who could neither hear nor see
nor reprove. But whensoever Moses shall have died, what shall
remain of him? For behold, thy God is a living God, and lo! He
has revealed Himself to thee by living testimonies. For the
bright cloud was at that time overshadowing them, and they had the
pillar of light in the night-time. Water flowed for them from the
rock, and they drank its streams. They were delighted every day
by tasting that manna, the fame of which we have heard. How was
Moses far from thee? Behold the signs of Moses surround
thee. Or how does the person of Moses profit thee, when thou hast
such a guide as this? If thy garments wear not old, and a
temperate air refreshes thee, if the heat and the cold do not hurt
thee, and thou hast rest from war, and art far removed from the fear of
Egypt,—what thing then was lacking to Israel that he sought for
Moses? Open heathenism was lacking to him. For it was not
for Moses that he sought, but on the pretext of Moses’ absence he
followed after the calf. Thus briefly have we showed, that when
the mind is full of anything, but an opposing reason meets it, then it
forces it by violence to open for it a door to that which it
desires.

43. Thou too, O Pharisee, athirst for
blasphemy, what sawest thou in our Lord, to show that He was not a
prophet? For lo! the things that belong to the Lord of the
Prophets were seen in Him. For the gushing tears made haste to
proclaim that they were shed as before God. The sorrowing kisses
testified that they sought to win over the creditor to tear up the
debt-bonds. The goodly ointment of the sinful woman proclaimed
that it was a bribe of penitence. These medicines the sinful
woman offered to her Physician, that by her tears He might wash away
her stains, by her kisses He might heal her wounds, by her sweet
ointment He might make her evil name sweet as the odour of her
ointment. This is the Physician who heals men by the medicines
which they bring to Him. These marvels were shown at that time;
but to the Pharisee instead of these there appeared blasphemy.
For what could be established in the weeping of the sinful woman, but
that He can justify sinners? Else, judge thou in thy mind, O
blind teacher, why was that mournful weeping in the joyful feast, so
that, while they were making merry with food, she was in bitterness
with her tears? Because she was a sinner, her deeds were
unchaste, and these (deeds) she was wont to do. But if at that
time, from the wantonness of sinners she was turned to chastity, then
acknowledge, thou who saidst He is not a prophet, that He is One
who makes those chaste that have been wanton. For by this, that
thou knowest that she is a sinner, and by this, that thou seest her now
penitent, search out where is the power that changed her. For he
ought to have fallen down and worshipped Him Who, while silent, in His
silence turned to chastity those sinners whom the Prophets by their
vehement utterances could not turn to chastity. A wonderful and
marvellous thing was seen in the house of the Pharisee; a sinful woman
that sat and wept, and she who wept said not wherefore she wept; nor
did He at Whose feet she sat say to her, Why weepest thou? The
sinner did not need with her lips to 325petition our Lord, because she believed that He
knew, as God, the petitions that were hidden in her tears. Nor
did our Lord ask her, What hast thou done? For He knew that by
her pure kisses she was atoning for her transgressions. So then
she, because she believed that He knew the things that were hidden,
offered to Him her prayers in her heart; for knowing secret things He
had no need of the outward lips. If then the sinner, because she
knew that our Lord was God, sought not to persuade Him with her lips;
and our Lord, because as God He discerned her thoughts, therefore
questioned her not; dost not thou, O tyrant Pharisee, from the silence
of both understand the position of both; that she was praying as to God
in her heart, and that He as God was in silence searching out her
thoughts? But the Pharisee could not see and understand these
things, because he was a son of Israel who though perceiving, saw not,
and though he heard, understood not. Though then our Lord knew
that that Pharisee thought evil thoughts concerning Him, He confuted
him gently and not harshly. For sweetness came down from on high
to break down the bitterness with which the Evil One had stamped
us. Therefore our Lord taught that Pharisee of Himself and in
Himself, as though saying, Even as I, though I knew the evil things in
thy heart, yet gently persuaded thee, so though I knew the evil things
of this woman, I mercifully received her.

But let us hear how long-suffering was drawn after
the hasty thought, so as to draw it from haste to understanding.
A certain creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred
dinars, and the other fifty dinars.—(Be not wearied, O
hearer, at the length of the repetition of the parable, lest thou be
contrary to Him Who in the parable was long-suffering for the sake of
giving help.)—At length, when neither of them had wherewithal
to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them dost thou think would
love him more? Simon said to Him, I suppose that he, to whom more
was forgiven. Our Lord said to him, Thou has rightly
judged. Our Lord in His justice commended the perverse
(Pharisee), because of the right judgment, which he had judged, though
he in his wickedness had answered the good Lord concerning the mercy He
had wrought. Now many things are laid up in this parable; for it
is a treasury full of many helps. Why then did our Lord require
that the Pharisee should pass judgment for Him between the two
debtors? Was it not that the greatness, coming after the
littleness, might show itself that nothing of the littleness was drawn
after the greatness? For our Lord, since He knew the secret
things, was long-suffering and questioned Simon, that those might be
put to shame who, though not knowing, were hasty to blame, but not to
enquire. For if, O man, before I heard thy judgment passed, I
judged not of it, why didst thou, before thou heardest from Me, the
case of the sinful woman, hastily blame? Now this was done for
our instruction, that we might be swift to enquire, but slow to pass
our sentence. For had that Pharisee been long-suffering, lo! that
pardon which our Lord in the end gave to the sinful woman, would have
taught him everything. Long-suffering is wont to acquire all
things for those that acquire it.

44. But again; through the forgiveness of the two
debtors, our Lord led into forgiveness him who was in need of
forgiveness, yet in whose eyes the forgiveness of debts was
hateful. For though the debts of the Pharisee himself needed
forgiveness, yet the forgiveness of the debts of the sinful woman was
hateful in his eyes. For had there been this forgiveness of debts
in the mind of the Pharisee, it would not have been in his eyes
disgraceful that that sinful woman should have come for forgiveness of
her debts to God and not to the priests; for the priests could not
forgive sins such as those. But this sinful woman from the
glorious works which our Lord did, believed that He could also forgive
sins. For she knew that whoso is able to restore the members of
the body, is able also to cleanse 326away the spots of the soul. But the Pharisee, though he was a teacher, did not know this. For the
teachers of Israel were wont to be fools, put to shame by the despised
and vile. For they were put to shame by that blind man to whom
they said;—We know that this man is a sinner.607607John ix. 24–31. But he said to them:—How did
He open my eyes? lo! God hears not sinners.608608John ix. 24–31. These are the blind teachers who
were made guides to others; and their perverse path was made straight
by a blind man.

45. But hear ye the marvel that our Lord
wrought. Because that Pharisee supposed that our Lord did not
know that the woman who touched Him was a sinner; our Lord made the
lips of the Pharisee like the strings of a harp; and by his very lips
He sang how she was trampling under foot his sins, though he knew it
not. And he who as though he knew had blamed, was found to be a
harp, whereto another could sing of that which he knew. For our
Lord compared the sins of the sinful woman to five hundred dinars, and
caused them to pass into the hearing of the Pharisee by the parable
which he heard; and again brought them forth from his mouth in the
judgment he gave; though Simon knew not, when he was judging, that
those five hundred dinars denoted the sins of the sinful woman.
And (the Pharisee) who thought concerning our Lord that He had not
knowledge of her sins, was himself found not to have knowledge of them,
when he heard of those debts in the parable, and gave judgment
concerning them with his voice. But when it was explained to him
at last by our Lord, then the Pharisee knew that alike his ears and
also his lips were, as it were, instruments for our Lord, through which
He might sing the glories of His knowledge.

For this Pharisee was the fellow of those scribes, whose sentence by their own mouths our Lord gave against
them;—What then will the Lord of the vineyard do to those
husbandmen?609609Matt. xxi. 40–44. They say unto
Him, against themselves:—He will terribly destroy them, and
will hire out the vineyard to husbandmen who will render unto Him the
fruit in its season. This is the Godhead to which all things
are easy, which by the mouths, the very mouths that blasphemed it,
pronounced the sentence of those very mouths against them.

46. Glory then be to Him the Invisible, who clothed Himself in invisibility, that sinners might he able to draw
near to Him. For our Lord did not repel the sinful woman as the
Pharisee expected; inasmuch as He descended from the height which no
man can reach unto, altogether in order that lowly publicans, like
Zaccheus, might reach unto Him. And the Nature which none can
handle, clothed Itself in a body, altogether in order that all
lips610610Is. vi. 7. might kiss His feet as the sinful woman did. For the sacred soul was hidden within the veil of flesh, and
so touched all unclean lips and sanctified them. Thus He Whom His
appetite was supposed to invite to feasting, His feet invited to tears;
He was the good Physician, who came forth to go to the sinful woman who
was seeking Him in her soul. She then anointed the feet of our
Lord, who (anointed) not His head,—she who was trodden down in
the dust by all. For those Pharisees who justified themselves and
despised all (else), trod her down. But He the Merciful, Whose
pure body sanctified her uncleanness, had pity on her.

47. But Mary anointed the head of our Lord’s body,611611Matt. xxvi. 7. as a token of the better part which she had chosen. And Christ prophesied
concerning that which her soul had chosen. While Martha was
cumbered with serving, Mary was hungering to be satisfied with
spiritual things by Him Who also satisfies us with bodily things.
So Mary refreshed Him with precious ointment, as He had refreshed her
with His exalted teaching. Mary by the oil showed forth the
mystery of His mortality, Who by His teaching mortified the
concupiscence of her flesh. 327Thus the sinful woman by the flood of her tears, in full assurance was rewarded with remission of sins from
beside His feet; and she who had the issue of blood, stole healing from
the hem of His garment. But Mary received blessing openly from
His mouth, as a reward of the service of her hands upon His head.
For she poured out on His head the precious ointment, and received from
His mouth a wonderful promise. This is the ointment which was
sown above and yielded fruit below. For she sowed it on His head
and gathered its fruit from between His lips;—She shall have a
name and this memorial in every place where My Gospel shall be
preached.612612Matt. xxvi. 13. Accordingly,
what she then received of Him, He is able to cause to pass unto all
generations: and in no generation can any hinder it. For
the ointment which she poured upon His head, gave its odour in presence
of all the guests and refreshed Him; so also the goodly name which He
gave her, passes down through all generations and brings honour to
her. Even as all who were at the feast were sensible of her
ointment; it was meet that all who come into the world should be
sensible of her triumph. This is a loan whereof the increase is
exacted in all generations.

48. Now Simeon the priest, when he took Him up in his arms to present Him before God,613613Luke ii. 28. understood as he saw [Him] that He was not presenting Him, but was
being himself presented. For the Son was not presented by the
servant to His Father, but the servant was presented by the Son to his
Lord. For it is not possible that He, by Whom every offering is
presented, should be presented by another. For the offering does
not present him that offers it; but by them that offer are offerings
presented. So then He Who receives offerings gave Himself to be
offered by another, that those who presented Him, while offering Him,
might themselves be presented by Him. For as He gave His body to
be eaten, that when eaten It might quicken to life them that ate Him;
so He gave Himself to be offered, that by His Cross the hands of them
that offered Him might be sanctified. So, then, though the arms
of Simeon seemed to be presenting the Son, yet the words of Simeon
testified that he was presented by the Son. Therefore we can have
no dispute concerning this, because that which was said put an end to
dispute;—Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in
peace.614614Luke ii. 29. He then who
is let depart to go in peace to God, is presented as an offering to
God. And in order to make known by whom he was presented, he
said,—For lo! mine eyes have seen Thy mercy.615615Luke ii. 30. If there was no grace wrought on him,
why then did he give thanks? But rightly did he give thanks, that
he was thought worthy to receive in his arms Him, Whom angels and
prophets greatly desired to see. For lo! mine eyes have seen
Thy mercy. Let us understand then and see. Is
mercy that which shows mercy to another, or is it that which
receives mercy from another? But if mercy is that which shows
mercy to all, well did Simeon call our Lord by the name of the mercy
that showed mercy to him,—Him Who freed him from the world which
is full of snares, that he might go to Eden which is full of pleasures;
for he who was priest said and testified that he was offered as an
offering, that from the midst of the perishing world he should go and
be stored up in the treasure-house which is kept safe. For one
for whom it may be that what he has found should be lost, to him it
belongs to be diligent that it should be kept safe. But for our
Lord it could not be that He should be lost; but by Him the lost were
found. So then, through the Son Who could not be lost, the
servant who was very desirous not to be lost, was presented.
Lo! mine eyes have seen Thy mercy. It is evident Simeon
received grace from that Child Whom he was carrying. For inwardly
he received grace from that Infant, Whom openly he received in
his 328arms. For through
Him Who was glorious, even when He was carried, being small and feeble,
he that carried Him was made great.

49. But inasmuch as Simeon endured to carry on his
weak arms that Majesty which the creatures could not endure, it is
evident that his weakness was made strong by the strength which he
carried. For at that time Simeon also along with all creatures
was secretly upheld by the almighty strength of the Son. Now this
is a marvel, that outwardly it was he that was strengthened that
carried Him Who strengthened him; but inwardly it was the strength that
bore its bearer. For the Majesty straitened itself, that they who
carried it might endure it; in order that as far as that Majesty
stooped to our littleness, so far should our love be raised up from all
desires to reach that Majesty.

50. So likewise the ship that carried our Lord; it was He that bare it, in that He stayed from it the wind that
would have sunk it. Peace, for thou art shut up. While He
was on the sea, His arm reached even to the fountain of the
wind,616616Mark iv. 39. to shut it up. The ship bare His
manhood, but the power of His Godhead bare the ship and all that was
therein. But that He might show that even His manhood needed not
the ship, instead of the planks which a shipwright puts together and
fastens, He like the Architect of creation, made the waters solid and
joined them together and laid them under His feet. So the Lord
strengthened the hands of Simeon the Priest, that his arms might bear
up in the Temple the strength that was bearing up all; as He
strengthened the feet of Simeon the Apostle, that they might bear
themselves up on the water. And so that name which bore the
first-begotten in the Temple was afterwards borne up by the
first-begotten in the sea; that He might show that as in the sea the
drowning was borne up by Him, He did not need to be borne by Simeon on
the dry ground. But our Lord bare Simeon up openly in the midst
of the sea to teach that also on the dry land He supported him
secretly.

51. Accordingly, the Son came to the servant; not that the Son might be presented by the servant, but that
by the Son the servant might present to His Lord Priesthood and
Prophecy, to be laid up with Him. For prophecy and priesthood,
which were given through Moses, were handed down, both of them, and
reached to Simeon. For he was a pure vessel, who sanctified
himself that he might be like Moses, capable for both of them.
There are small vessels which are capable for great gifts. There
are gifts for which one is capable, by reason of their grace; yet many
are not capable for them, by reason of their greatness. Thus,
then, Simeon presented our Lord, and in Him offered both these things;
so that that which was given to Moses in the wilderness, was received
from Simeon in the Temple. But seeing that our Lord is the vessel
wherein all fulness dwells, when Simeon was offering Him before God, he
poured over Him (as a drink-offering) those two (gifts), priesthood
from His hands and prophecy from His lips. Priesthood continued
on the hands of Simeon, because of his purifications; and prophecy
dwelt in operation upon his lips, because of revelations. When
then these two powers saw Him who was Lord of both, they two united
together and poured themselves into the vessel that was capable of
both; that could contain priesthood and kingdom and prophecy.
That Infant then, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes, because of His
graciousness, clothed Himself in priesthood and prophecy because of His
Majesty. For Simeon clothed Him in these, and gave Him to her who
had wrapped Him in swaddling clothes. For when he gave Him to His
mother, he gave along with Him the priesthood; and when he prophesied
to her concerning Him, This (child) is set for the fall and rising
again,617617Luke ii. 34. he gave prophecy also with Him.

32952. Then Mary received her firstborn and went forth. He was outwardly
wrapped in swaddling clothes, but secretly He was clothed with prophecy
and priesthood. Whatsoever then was handed down from Moses, was
received from Simeon, but continued and was possessed by the Lord of
both. So then the steward first, and the treasurer lastly, handed
over the keys of priesthood and prophecy to Him who has authority over
the treasurer of them both. Therefore, His Father gave Him the
spirit not by measure,618618John iii. 34. because all measures of the spirit are under his hand. And that our Lord
might show that He received the keys from the former stewards, He said
to Simeon: To thee I will give the keys of the
doors.619619Matt. xvi. 19. But how
should He have given them to another, had He not received them from
another? So, then, the keys which He had received from Simeon the
priest, them He gave to another Simeon the Apostle; that even though
the People had not hearkened to the former Simeon, the Gentiles might
hearken to the latter Simeon.

53. But because John also was the treasurer of baptism, the Lord of the stewardship came to him to receive from him
the keys of the house of reconciliation. For John used to wash
away in common water the blemishes of sins; that bodies might become
meet for the garment of the Spirit, given by our Lord. Therefore,
because the Spirit was with the Son, He came to John to receive from
him baptism, that He might mingle with the visible waters the invisible
Spirit; that they whose bodies should feel the moistening of the water,
their souls should feel the gift of the Spirit; that even as the bodies
outwardly feel the pouring of the water upon them, so the souls
inwardly may feel the pouring of the Spirit upon them.
Accordingly, even us our Lord when He was baptised, was clothed in
baptism and carried baptism with Him, so also when He was presented in
the Temple, He put on prophecy and priesthood, and went forth bearing
the purity of the priesthood upon His pure members, and bearing the
words of prophecy in His wondrous ears. For when Simeon was
sanctifying the body of the Child who sanctifies all, that body
received the priesthood in its sanctification. And again, when
Simeon was prophesying over Him, prophecy quickly entered the hearing
of the Child. For if John leaped in the womb and perceived the
voice of the Mother of our Lord,620620Luke i. 41. how much more should our Lord have heard in the Temple? For lo! it was because
of Him that John knew (so as) to hear in the womb.

54. Accordingly, each one of the gifts that was
stored up for the Son, He gathered from their true tree. For He
received baptism from the Jordan, even though John still after Him used
to baptise. And He received priesthood from the Temple, even
though Annas the High Priest exercised it. And again, He received
prophecy which had been handed down amongst the righteous, even though
by it Caiaphas in mockery platted a crown for our Lord, and He received
the kingdom from the house of David, even though Herod held the place
and exercised it.

55. This is He Who flew and came down from on
high; and when all those gifts which He had given to those of old time
saw Him, they came flying from every quarter and rested on Him their
Giver. For they gathered themselves together from every side, to
come and be grafted into their natural tree. For they had been
grafted into bitter trees, namely into wicked kings and priests.
Therefore they hastened to come to their sweet parent-stock; namely to
the Godhead Who in sufficiency came down to the people of Israel, that
the parts of Him might be gathered to Him. And when He received
of them that which was His own, that which was not His own was
rejected; since for the sake of His own He had borne also with that
which was not His own. For He bore with the idolatry of
330Israel, for the sake of His
priesthood; and He bore with its diviners, for the sake of His
prophets; and He bore with its wicked dominion, for the sake of His
holy crown.

56. But when our Lord took to Himself Priesthood
from them, He sanctified by it all the Gentiles. And again, when
He took to Himself prophecy, He revealed by it His counsels to all
nations. And when he wove His crown, He bound the strong One who
takes all men captive, and divides his spoils. These gifts were
barren, with the fig-tree, which while it was barren of fruit made
barren such glorious powers as these. Therefore as being without
fruit, it was cut off, that these gifts might pass forth from it and
bring forth fruit abundantly among all the Gentiles.

57. So He, Who came to make our bodies abodes for
His indwelling, passed by all those dwelling-places. Let each one
of us then be a dwelling-place for Him Who loves me. Let us come
to Him and make our abode with Him. This is the Godhead Whom
though all creation cannot contain, yet a lowly and humble soul
suffices to receive Him.